[spoonjim]

Well if saying “sorry” provides one with complete absolution then what’s the real cost of acting badly?

[neolog]

The cost is on the people who he behaved badly to. He needs to improve, not suffer.

[jtbayly]

Who said it absolves him? The question is why attack him for apologizing?

[williamsmj]

Because the apology is so shallow and glib and self-serving that it's literally worse than no apology.

[teddyh]

It might be a bad and insufficient apology, but people always say that, about all apologies, even honest and good ones. A more workable policy would be to never criticize apologies, but accept them and move on. You never want to make apologizing a sure-losing move.

[spoonjim]

Yes, but the apology should not affect the likelihood of being punished. If you do something bad, apologizing shouldn't be a ticket out of punishment.